


Unlikely Places ver. 2

by babywarg (morphaileffect)



Series: DrPepperony Prompts and Fics [11]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Attraction, BAMF Stephen Strange, BAMF Tony Stark, Cults, F/M, Gen, Kamar-Taj (Marvel), Kidnapping, M/M, Original Character(s), Other, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 03:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21008819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg
Summary: As a new Master, Stephen finds that part of his job is to bust petty cults led by disillusioned Masters, some of whom have terrorist inclinations.During one such bust, he rescues a brave American woman who insists on coming with him to save the other prisoners.





	Unlikely Places ver. 2

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheLadyStrange](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyStrange/gifts).

> From a prompt by mistressstrange on Tumblr: "Stephen rescues Pepper, who had been kidnapped by a cult, it’s just too bad his outfit matched his surroundings so well when Tony showed up."
> 
> This one sort of operates in a similar setup to [a previous DrPepperony fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21008537) also written for mistressstrange, where Pepper goes to Nepal looking for a way to help Tony, and finds Stephen. Also a pre-relationship fic. The circumstances are just a bit different here.

It was a mystery to Stephen how so many people left Kamar-Taj disillusioned, then formed their own religious groups.

As Master of the Mystic Arts, he found himself having to bust one too many former Masters who built up honest-to-goodness cults that used magic indiscriminately.

Many of them used black magic, too. But then, he supposed the temptation _not_ to do so was simply too great, once one had broken free of Kamar-Taj’s tacit restraints…

To be fair, most cults were relatively harmless - dealing less in magic, and more in self-actualization and healing. Those did not need busting, only close surveillance from the Masters based in the Sanctums nearest to them.

And then, there were some downright dangerous cults that had to be busted multiple times.

“Rupert,” Stephen greeted, the business end of a magical sword pressed against his much larger, burlier captive’s left carotid artery. “This makes what - the third time?”

“Fourth,” the man in his grip growled through gritted teeth. “And this won’t be the last time either, Strange. You really should put stronger locks on those things you Kamar-Taj jokers call jails…”

“You know as well as I do,” Stephen admonished, “it’s more of a reform school than a prison. We never punish, Rupert - we teach.”

“_You_ teach,” Rupert-the-cult-leader spat. “The world is cruel, Strange. It needs more warriors, fewer teachers.”

“Yeah, well, the world needs fewer cruel people, too. Like kidnappers.” Stephen glanced around at the room. “Where are you keeping them?”

Rupert sneered. “You seem to know everything - you tell me.”

Stephen sighed. Knocked out his captive with a fast sleep spell. Diffused his weapon, and set about finding the tourists that the cultists had kidnapped.

He smiled a little to himself as he remembered Wong warning him not to go alone, because Rupert’s cult was larger than it had ever been, and Stephen surely couldn’t take on all of them by himself.

_Sure, Wong,_ Stephen silently chuckled as he stepped over knocked-out cult members who were dressed in Kamar-Taj novice robes.

He used a spell to ferret out a corner of the makeshift temple that was hidden away by magic. One quick incantation, and the deflective barrier was broken.

The handful of kidnapped tourists fled toward the exit he pointed to.

Except for one.

“There were more of us,” she said to him. “They must be held elsewhere in the building. We have to find them.”

“No, _I_ have to find them,” Stephen corrected. “You have to get to safety.”

“You saved me,” the red-haired, blue-eyed captive answered. “Where you are is safety.”

…Okay. Inaccurate, but a surprisingly nice thing to hear.

He decided it wouldn’t hurt to have her along. She carried herself with the confidence of someone who knew self-defense, at least…and if his earlier brush with Rupert and his feeble followers was any indication, he could defend the both of them well enough.

He soon learned that her name was Potts. Pepper Potts. Like all the other kidnap victims, she had come to Nepal as a tourist. And, like all the others in her group, she fell into Rupert’s cult’s clutches because she was promised an audience with a reclusive but powerful guru.

She had no idea that said guru (was named Rupert and) had plans to use her and her companions as pawns to spark some sort of conflict. What kind of conflict, she wasn’t quite sure - but in the end, it didn’t matter.

“I heard there were teachers here who could do…amazing things,” Potts told Stephen as they walked down long corridors, careful not to trigger magical traps. “Healing things.”

“Was that what you were looking for, Ms. Potts?” Stephen asked. “Healing? For yourself?”

“Help,” was the quick reply. “For someone I love.”

_…Oh._ So she already had someone.

Of course she did.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” Stephen offered. “Maybe I can be of service.”

Potts eyed him sidelong. “Are you going to tell me you’re some sort of guru, too?”

“A doctor. Actually.” Stephen smirked. “Not to brag, but before I came here, I was – “

He didn’t finish that sentence.

A wall exploded just beside them. And before Stephen knew it, a literal iron fist was around his neck.

When he was able to focus his eyes, through the haze, he found himself face to face with a shell of pure, cold metal.

The Iron Man.

_“Tony, no!”_ Stephen heard Potts yell. “He’s all right! Let him go!”

Thankfully, the Iron Man obeyed Potts at the drop of a hat. Stephen fell to the floor once released.

A quick check told him his throat wasn’t dangerously constricted, but he could already feel the start of bruising.

“You take a leave for ‘reasons’,” the Iron Man said to Potts in a clearly worried, slightly miffed tone, “and I track you and find you in the company of a bunch of wackos and one weirdly good-looking cultist - ”

“Cult?” Stephen scoffed from the rubble he was lying on. “I’m from a completely different organization than these bozos. One that harnesses true power.”

Both the Iron Man and Potts stared down at him.

”…Yeah, that sounds like a cult,“ the Iron Man pointed out.

“It’s not a –” Stephen started to argue. But Potts didn’t let him finish.

“You were _spying_ on me??” Potts exclaimed.

The Iron Man retracted his helmet with a frustrated sigh…

Bringing to light one of the most ruggedly handsome faces Stephen had ever laid eyes on.

Might have been the dust and sunlight pouring in through the hole in the wall messing with his vision. But god_damn_, he was in the presence of so much pretty…

…both of whom seemed to forget that he was even there.

“Pep, the Mandarin fiasco just wrapped up,” the Iron Man - Tony - pleaded passionately. Without the mask’s mechanical amplifier, his voice sounded small, human, helpless. “You’re still recovering from that. Even if you said you needed time alone, did you _really_ think I wouldn’t make sure you were safe? Really??”

“That’s not the _point_, Tony, you _promised_ you were going to take things easy.” Her stressed-out sigh echoed Tony’s from just a moment ago.

“I know, honey, I know I promised, but it’s hard for me.”

“I know that, too, Tony. Why did you think I was here in the first place? I was trying to get some help for you. Something that may help you calm down.”

“You know what would help me calm down? You not getting into trouble!”

“Trouble isn’t something either of us can control, Tony. And I suppose getting rid of all your suits was just an act?”

“_Of course_ it was! I had to keep just _one _suit, to protect _you_!”

They were going to bicker all day if Stephen didn’t do anything, so he got to his feet and cleared his throat.

“Hate to break up this…touching reunion,” he interrupted, “but Ms. Potts said there were more people in need of rescuing. So if you’ll excuse me…”

“Hold it, gorgeous,” Tony snapped at him. “I’m coming to help.” He faced Potts again. “_You_ are not. _You’re_ going somewhere safe if I have to _carry_ you there.”

Potts looked like she was preparing for another shouting match. But somehow she managed to calm down and loudly sigh _“Fine.”_

She stepped up to Tony and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

“Take care of him,” she instructed. “If he wasn’t around, I would’ve wrung your neck.”

“ ‘Thanks for coming to save me, Tony,’ ” Tony said softly. “Sure might have been nice to hear…”

“Except it wouldn’t have been true.” Potts was smiling now. “_He_ saved me, not you.”

With that, she turned and made her way to the exit.

And Tony had no one else left to talk to but Stephen.

“Well,” he tentatively began, “suppose some thanks are in order, Mr…”

“Strange.”

Tony had a myriad of reactions at his disposal. But he chose to laugh as he said “What?”

Stephen inwardly shrugged. “It’s…Strange.”

“You’re telling me.” He decided he’d talked enough. “C'mon, sexy. Let’s go find more folks to rescue.” He patted Stephen’s shoulder as he walked past him.

Stephen wasn’t altogether happy with being so easily dismissed. But there was an urgent task at hand, so any discomfort would have to be addressed later, if it was even still necessary.

Besides, saving people in the company of this impulsive, filter-less guy might not be all bad.

He wouldn’t mind being called “sexy” for a little while longer.


End file.
